Every day we see tens, hundreds or thousands of them, but profile photos have become such an important window into your online persona.

Whether we admit it or not, everyone makes a split second judgment on an online account based on their first impressions, which is usually a profile picture. 

All the major players on social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Quora, and LinkedIn) offer a small space for you to put your face - your avatar.

Your avatar, or profile picture, is usually the first thing people see when visiting your page, so you need to know how to get it right. 

So let’s look at this little space and look at how we can make the most of it:

Showing your face

This sounds obvious, but it’s not.

I know, you really want to show how good you are at skiing, or your latest baking creation, or how cute your new puppy is, but studies have shown that faces are more impactful as profile pictures.

Showing your face encourages the person viewing your profile to have an instant connection with you, which, surely, is the whole point of social media!

We have evolved to recognise, understand, and empathise with faces - we develop these skills at a very young age, and we never lose them.

According to studies, people who post profile pictures with anything other than their face - their pet, a view, or a car, for example - may have neurotic tendencies.

Not showing your face also negatively impacts the level of trust your followers have in you, even if it is subconscious.

Don’t underestimate the importance of body language 

Being a portrait photographer, I’ve met a lot of people who have been forced into having their photo taken, and it always shows. 

Their body language screams that they don’t want to be in front of the camera, even if they appear to be smiling. 

So when creating your own profile picture, make sure you’re in the right headspace, know what you want to achieve from your portrait and enjoy it, play the part of the model. 

Get yourself relaxed, take your time, and be yourself.

Whatever you do, don’t be bored:

Use a simple background

Social media is a very busy place, with distractions are everywhere.

So you want to avoid them as much as you can in your profile shot. 

I’ve seen too many images taken with a messy kitchen in the background, or selfies in mirror with the bathroom cabinets. 

Keep it simple with one plain colour. 

This gives you an opportunity to think deeper about your brand: the colour you should be consistent with your website, or something that you feel represents you as a person - your personal brand.

The idea is that people should be able to easily focus on your profile picture without realising that they are.

Unless you’re a bodybuilder, don’t show you body

Framing your profile is important.

You want to show your face - not too close that people are scared as you pop onto their screen, but not too far away that they have to squint to see you. 

There are no strict rules around framing your image, but you’ll instinctively know when it’s right.

Common framing devices are head-to-shoulder or head-to-waist. 

You may also want to include something brand-related in your shot. 

For example, a profile picture of me with a camera shows that I’m a photographer, so my image might be wider than just a head-to-shoulder, to fit the camera in.

But remember, unless you’re a bodybuilder, avoid the ‘bikini-body’ showing off selfie. 

There’s nothing wrong in feeling proud of your body, or wanting to show it off a bit, but if you’re planning on growing your personal brand, it’s generally not a good idea.

It’s one of the biggest reasons why genuine people don’t click on your profile - they think you’re a fake account or a bot.

Resist the urge to be silly

If you’re anything like me, as soon as there’s a camera on you, there’s always that urge.

I’m talking about the urge to pull a face.

When taking your profile picture, you need to resist that urge, and remember why you’re getting the picture in the first place. 

The viewers of your profile could be friends and family, but they could also be potential clients and employers, so show your professional side. 

You can show some personality, but don’t compromise your professional side.

If in doubt, ask people you know before uploading - it’s hard to be self-critical, especially when it comes to your own face!

You won’t get it on the first shot

Many people think that ‘one click and we have it’ rule works. 

I‘m here to tell you it doesn’t. 

But don’t let this thought get you down!

Just give yourself some time and take a few different shots - mix it up!

Experiment with things you like and don’t like, move about, try different outfits, make-up, jewellery, hairstyles… Whatever you fancy!

Have patience that your perfect shot is amongst all your photos.

You’ll be glad you did this, because it’s useful to have a bank of images when you need an update, or just fancy a change, you’ll have a great bank of image options to work from.

Found ‘The One’?

Now that you’ve created your perfect profile picture, you need to be consistent.

Use your image across all of your platforms - on social media, emails, your website, anywhere you would have a profile picture that needs to be professional. 

Consistency is key on social platforms, especially if you have a common surname. 

If someone sees you on a platform and wants to connect with you on different one, having the same profile image makes it much easier for them to find you. 

I was looking for a ‘Brian Jones’ out of the 568 of them on LinkedIn… absolute nightmare.

Bonus tip

SMILE!

What are your top tips for taking the perfect profile picture? Leave us a comment!